In the poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, Samuel Taylor Coleridge laments “Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink,” expressing his grief over being surrounded by saltwater while unable to quench the thirst of himself and his crewmates. Similarly, the Earth and its inhabitants are becoming increasingly more vulnerable to water.

Due to climate change, heavy rainfalls are increasing across the world, along with the flood risks associated with them. Floods are the #1 natural disaster in the United States. All 50 states have experienced floods or flash floods. According to NOAA , extreme flooding, due to a warming climate threatens to cost and average of $4.3 billion per event in physical damage to buildings, assets, lost time, damage to infrastructure, loss of agricultural assets and disaster restoration costs.

In US cities up to 40% of the land is hardscape. Roads, parking lots, sidewalks, and other pavements, along with asphalt, concrete, brick, stone, and other building materials, combine to create impervious surfaces that resist the natural absorption of water. Water needs somewhere to go. When stormwater is absorbed into the soil, it is naturally filtered and replenishes aquifers or flows into streams and rivers. Hardscapes create runoff. When heavy rainwater hits, the ground is saturated by water that runs across the surface and into storm sewers and road ditches. This water often carries debris, chemicals, bacteria, eroded soil, and other pollutants into streams, rivers, lakes, or wetlands.

Stormwater systems are often connected to sanitation systems as well. Too much rainwater can cause untreated sewage containing disease-causing pathogens including viruses, bacteria, worms, and protozoa to overflow into streams and rivers. When sewage overflows contaminate public places and waters, people can be put at risk of exposure to the untreated sewage by drinking from a contaminated water supply, eating contaminated fish or shellfish, and swimming in contaminated water. Animals and ecosystems are also put in danger by sewage overflows.

Many designers are embracing this modern water world by specifying products that can withstand or integrate with water like permeable pavers , which offer land savings, eliminate detention ponds, and fight flooding. The city of Portland, Oregon has become a recognized leader in green stormwater management through a variety of initiatives and programs including the Green Streets program, which addresses street runoff through landscaped curb extensions, swales, planter strips, pervious pavement, and street trees to intercept and infiltrate stormwater. Portland’s Ecoroofs project also granted $2 million in incentives that helped fund over 130 projects, creating more than 8 acres of ecoroofs that manage an average of 4.4 million gallons of stormwater annually significantly decreasing stormwater runoff, saving energy, reducing pollution and erosion, and helping to preserve wildlife habitat.

Manufacturers and designers need to offer sustainably designed products and innovative solutions for water mitigation and integration both for new projects and to upgrade existing buildings during renovations to remain viable in the face of climate change. How do your products help mitigate storm water?